


seven wonders (if i give or take a few)

by littledeaths



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Famous Jihoon, Fresh Grad Daniel, M/M, Nielwink:SS, travel AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 20:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15893517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littledeaths/pseuds/littledeaths
Summary: The first time Daniel meets Jihoon is in the middle of Charles de Gaulle airport. And though he has tickets and bookings and itineraries to see and do and eat and experience everything the world has to offer, the biggest adventure he sees is in the eyes of this blonde stranger wheeling away his red duffle bag.





	seven wonders (if i give or take a few)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [peachbunny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachbunny/gifts).



> to my dearest, tori
> 
> i know i took my DAMN TIME with this one, but i fell in love with your prompt and then suddenly my hands had a mind of their own and i could no longer control them.
> 
> i hope you enjoy it and it maybe??? somehow??? meets your expectations. ily and i owe you so much wenk wonk.
> 
> prompt: Daniel and Jihoon are frequent travelers who meet over and over and it's never the perfect timing for them to happen even with their obvious chemistry - until finally it is.

**_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • 12s_

_[PRE] 180924 Incheon Airport - Jihoon leaving S. Korea for Paris for Fashion Week  #박지훈 #parkjihoon_

The first time Daniel meets Jihoon is in the middle of Charles de Gaulle airport.

Despite the long line to get through immigration, things go swimmingly until he gets to the baggage claim. While he’s only ever been to three other airports in his life, the hustle of this one rivals LAX whenever its KCON season (it’s happened once before when Daniel had come back home from South Korea and since then he’s made sure to double check whenever he visited his dad that none of his flight schedules ever coincided with that of an idol’s).

He supposes Fashion Week is the KCON of Paris.

He feels out of place in his baggy sweats and oversized American Apparel tee. He’s always dressed for comfort and never for style when he knew he’d be stuck in an economy seat for more than 3 hours.  _No one has the time to get styled up for the fucking airport,_ he thinks as two women stride past him in heels that made them all the same height.

He shakes his head.

Daniel hoists his backpack onto his shoulder and shakes the sleep from his system. His eyes are still bleary from the overextended nap he took on the flight from LA when it all happens. He sees through sleep veiled eyes how his very distinctive fire truck red bag is being hoisted up and out of the sea of black, blue, silver luggage. Not many people can claim to own the same flashy red luggage emblazoned with  _Supreme_ across the front and sides. Daniel knows this because though it looks bitchin’ his mother nearly slapped him upside the head when he confessed as to how much it really cost.

_Oh no. No no no no._

And though his mind races and alerts him that  _fuck you sir, that is my luggage!_ His body struggles to keep up and by the time he can get is uselessly long legs to work, the blonde who has taken his luggage is already wheeling it away and out toward the exit. He can hear his heart pounding in his ears as he sprints towards the Supreme thief and just as makes it a few feet close enough, he’s cut off by a scary looking man in all black with an earpiece.

“Excuse me sir, you’ll need to stay here,” Mr. MIB says to Daniel in heavily accented English, a hand against his chest.

“What? No! That guy stole my luggage!” He reasons out in complete disbelief of the situation.

“I’m sorry, I think you’re mistaken. Please kindly step to the side or better yet, return to the baggage claim. We’re sure your luggage is still there,” the scary man instructs.

Daniel can hardly comprehend what this jackass was saying. He was too preoccupied straining his eyesight as he tries to keep his luggage and its thief within his shitty vantage point. It is to no avail as he sees that blonde stranger pause just shy of the exit, pulling out his phone and pressing it to his ear.

He doesn’t know who he’s talking to and he can’t hear what he’s saying from the distance between them, but the blonde stranger turns around and for a fraction of a second their eyes meet.

And though he has tickets and bookings and itineraries to see and do and eat and experience everything the world has to offer, the biggest adventure he sees is in the eyes of this blonde stranger wheeling away his red duffle bag.

With hardly any choice, Daniel does go back to the baggage claim with little to no hope. He checks again if he’s got the right baggage carousel number and there’s no mistaking that the beautiful blonde stranger has his luggage. How does he know? Well for starters, he’s sure he’s never covered his $1,800 luggage in bunny stickers.

 

 **_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • 5m_

_[PRESS] 180924 Jihoon arriving in Charles de Gaulle airport for Paris Fashion Week_

 

 **_11❤️12_ ** _@winkgingie • 5m_

_What happened to Jihoon’s luggage :c :c He removed all the cute stickers!_

 

 ** _Belle_**   _@seoftpeaches • 6m_

_Still can’t get over how expensive hoonie’s luggage is~ but i suppose if you’re invited to fashion week, its hardly that expensive to him!!!_

  
  
  


By the time Daniel checks into the little hostel he’s booked to stay at for the next three days he’s yet to hear from his luggage thief. Whoever has his shit must have noticed the mix up by now, Daniel ponders. He grabs his room key and lugs the imposter luggage up the stairs. Budget hostel also meant budget amenities, but Daniel thinks he’ll live.

The first thing he does is collapse on the bed and lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in since the luggage mix-up. He could barely stomach the croissant that cost way too much from the boulangerie across the street from the anxiety the whole thing had caused him.

This was not how he thought his trip was going to go.

He’s had the whole thing semi-planned even before he was confirmed to march at his college graduation. What fresh grad hasn’t daydreamed about postponing the inevitable decline into employment with the thought of travelling the world, exploring all it has to offer? And truth be told, Daniel’s always been an easygoing guy, always rolling with the punches but this? Having his luggage stolen and replacing it with this bunny sticker covered one was nothing close to his imagined Paris itinerary.

He immediately sits back up and stares at the luggage sitting innocently in the middle of the room. He supposed the bunny stickers are quite cute albeit completely off brand against the shiny red that the luggage actually came in. Daniel wheels it closer to him and examines it even more. Aside from the bunny stickers there are baggage stickers from what he supposes are previous trips, the ever so obvious  **_FRAGILE_ ** sticker is on the back as well, but he does a double take when he sees the Hangul characters printed in pastel pink block letters.

**_박지훈_ **

His hands catch the lock on the bag’s side and he ponders to himself if he can crack his con-man’s code. After some mindless fondling the lock  _clicks!_ And Daniel looks to his own hands, stunned.  _Well Mr. Park, I hope you don’t mind, since you didn’t think twice to go for_ my  _luggage,_ Daniel thinks bitterly.

When he pops open the luggage he’s pretty impressed. While Daniel will admit his own wardrobe costs a pretty penny and he dresses like the upper middle class Asian American that he is, this dude’s outfits could have cleared a lot of his college friends of their student loans a few times over.

Suddenly the trade off doesn’t seem too bad. Everything in his own luggage he’s worn, and won’t be missed. Except maybe for those Nikes he got a few weeks ago but shit, he’s never had a Gucci belt before. He pulls what looks and feels like a regular cotton tee up from the neatly folded pile and Daniel can’t help but let out a whistle of appreciation.

It’ll be a little tight around the shoulders but he’s sure he’ll pull off Balenciaga just fine.

  
  
  


Daniel is taking the first bite of his very French Nutella and strawberry crepe when his phone vibrates from his back pocket. Pulling it out, he ignores the unread messages and missed calls from his father as the the email notification at the very top catches his eye.

**_From: Jisung.Yoon@SwingEnt.co.kr_ **

**_Date: 25 September 2018 at 3:21 PM UTC+1:00_ **

**_To: Daniel.Kang@UCLA.com_ **

**_Subject: Mistaken Luggage_ **

_To Whom It May Concern,_

_It has come to our attention that earlier today you retrieved one of our clients’ luggage, mistaking it for your own. While we understand that this was an honest mistake due to the similar appearance between the two bags, it is imperative that we correct this mistake immediately as our client has very personal belongings which they would like to have returned. We believe you too would like for your belongings to be returned to you, so with this we would like to request for your cooperation. You may forward the luggage to the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris before 5PM today. Once we receive our clients’ luggage and confirmed all items and the luggage itself has not been tampered with or damaged, your own will be delivered to the address of your choice._

_Again, we would like to request for your swift cooperation as well as your discretion regarding this matter. Thank you very much and please do not hesitate to contact me through this email address should you have any concerns._

_Best Regards,_

_Jisung Yoon_

_Client Servicing and Management_

_Stone Entertainment, South Korea_

 

Daniel can only snort, afraid that actually laughing out loud would make the strawberry bits in his mouth fly out. He pens out a simple reply with one hand before hitting send and shoving his phone into his back pocket.

 

**_From: Daniel.Kang@UCLA.com_ **

**_Date: 25 September 2018 at 3:30 PM UTC+1:00_ **

**_To: Jisung.Yoon@SwingEnt.co.kr_ **

**_Subject: Re: Mistaken Luggage_ **

_Mr. Yoon,_

_Just two things: #1 -- Your client took my luggage, not the other way around. When I tried to approach him at the airport earlier, I was stopped by security. #2 -- You guys have already inconvenienced me while I am on vacation. You go and get his luggage if its so important. Oh and its three things apparently._

_#3 -- tell Mr. Jihoon Park that his vibrator is totally safe in his luggage._

_I am staying at the 9Hotel Republique if you’d like to contact me. Thanks._

_Best,_

_Daniel Kang_

  
  
  


It is foolish that Daniel thinks they’ll drop the whole luggage thing just like that. Perhaps they weren’t smart enough to crack his own code (though in all honesty, Daniel just got lucky) or this Jihoon dude really needed to get off but he has a beer in one hand and twirling pasta with the other when his phone starts ringing. Its a number he’s never seen before but regardless, he chuckles because he should have known those Stone Entertainment guys wouldn’t give up that suitcase that easily.

He downs the rest of his alcohol before answering, “You’ve reached the number of Daniel Kang! Leave a message after the be—“

“Alright, listen here. I’m in front of your lameass hotel with your stupidass luggage, now hand mine over!” The voice on the other side demands. The heavily accented English has him perking up.

“See, Mr. Yoon! It wasn’t that difficult to find my accomodations!” Daniel laughs into the phone.

“Alright, alright. I don’t have any time to play around here. Where are you so we can get this over with,” comes the reply.

Daniel pushes down a forkful of noodles with a large gulp of his drink, “Ahh, sorry about that but I’m out at the moment. Just down the street from the hotel. Enjoying my dinner.”

Daniel can’t help the devious smirk playing on his lips.  _This is just too good._

“Fine! I’ll go to you!” Daniel can hear the telltale sound of wheels along the cobblestone. He’s seated on the balcony of this small restaurant and has a pretty good view of the street down below and stands up from the table.

He can’t miss it. He sees the eye catching red suitcase being wheeled down the narrow passageway and he can help the smile on his face. Clutching the handle is the blonde from earlier that morning, an unpleasant sneer on his face.

“Hey!” Daniel calls out, waving a hand in the air to catch his attention.

Blonde beauty looks up and for a brief moment the sneer on his face drops and instead he’s confused.  _Cute._ When he finally sees Daniel the sneer is back and suddenly he’s a man on a mission again.

When he makes it up to the balcony, he goes straight for Daniel’s table, pointing an accusatory finger. “Alright! I’m here, give me my luggage!”

Daniel clicks his tongue in mock annoyance. He knows his luggage is safe downstairs, so now he’s just having fun. Maybe it's a bit of a dick move since he’s getting his stuff back in less than 24 hours, but his ego’s a bit bruised by that shitty email and stress of it all. So maybe he’ll play for a little while more.

Up close this Mr. Yoon doesn’t look much like a mister at all. He’s no older than Daniel, that’s for sure. There’s a healthy flush to his cheeks that Daniel can clearly see even as the sun is setting over what would be a very romantic view had it been a different situation. There is a deadly look in those otherwise bright eyes and Daniel really shouldn’t be checking this bold bastard out, but he’s given in to lesser temptations before.

This isn’t Mr. Yoon. His insistence over the luggage makes it perfectly clear that he’s face to face with the actual owner of the luggage, Mr. Yoon’s “client.” Jihoon Park.

“Congrats on cracking the code. You’ve got good taste,” Is all Daniel can mutter, hiding his smile behind his near-empty glass. He finishes its contents in one long gulp before he gestures at his guest’s general direction.

Jihoon is dressed in a totally normal outfit of sneakers and well fitting jeans. It’s his top that makes Daniel smile. Its a soft baby pink that Daniel is familiar with with large block lettering  _96 Edition_. It’s one of the shirts he’s packed.

Jihoon raises an eyebrow in what looks like a challenge, staring pointedly at Daniel’s waist.

“You too.”

Daniel looks like the picture perfect definition of unbothered rich asian kid, sipping beers and twirling pasta on a balcony in Paris. Unkempt cotton shirt tucked into light washed jeans, all topped off with that statement Gucci belt.

Daniel beams at Jihoon. Jihoon rolls his eyes.

“I take it you won’t be joining me for dessert?” Daniel says, waving the dessert menu.

Jihoon mutters something in Korean under his breath and Daniel is unsure if he was meant to hear or not, but it doesn’t go unnoticed.  _Crazy bastard._

“I heard that,” Daniel quips back in Korean.

Jihoon doesn’t look shocked. Daniel clicks his tongue again. He was meant to hear it, then.

“Look, I’m tired and I have a really busy day ahead of me tomorrow. I just want my stuff back and I’m sure you do too. Can we get this over with?” Jihoon whines. The restaurant is slowly getting more crowded and with each person that comes in, Jihoon looks increasingly more uncomfortable.

“Jeez,” Daniel comments, “Your itinerary that tight?”

Jihoon makes a face as he grabs the chair opposite from Daniel and sits, pulling the bill of his snapback lower over his eyes.

“Unlike some people we aren’t here for vacation,” he hisses as Daniel waves over the waiter and mutters something Jihoon can’t understand while pointing to the menu.

Daniel turns back to Jihoon and gives him another once over. “So you’re here for work? What’d you do?”

Daniel goes back to his initial thoughts -- this guys barely looks over twenty but he’s already flying off to Paris for business? Shit, Daniel needs to get this guy’s boss’ number. “Are you some kind of fashion person?”

Daniel knows South Koreans have gotten more trendy and fashionable and Jihoon’s wardrobe definitely suggests that he’s could some kind of jetsetting fashion blogger, not that Daniel would know too much about that.

Jihoon clears his throat before answering, “Something like that.”

A large plate is brought to their table and sitting pretty in the center of what Jihoon thinks is unnecessary plating and garnish is a little chocolate lava cake. His stomach groans at the sight. Here he is in a city known for its gastronomic innovations, a delicatessen and boulangerie on every corner, but he hasn’t had a thing to eat since the obviously lacking breakfast on the plane.

Daniel give him a pointed look and offers him a fork.

He takes it with a sulk, as if it pained him to dig into the warm cake, chocolate seeping out of where he had taken a forkful.

Their conversation is slightly stunted, both kind of unsure how to go about it, but Daniel looks a little pleased with how things are going and chuckles when Jihoon ends up eating more of the cake than him.

Jihoon blushes, his hands immediately coming to cover his (hopefully not chocolate smeared) mouth. He whines, “What? What now?”

Daniel can’t help the smile that spreads on his face. Jihoon is cute.

“Nothing, nothing.”

Daniel calls over the waiter and pays for his bill while Jihoon makes a show of tapping his foot impatiently and looking at his watch as if the whole of Daniel’s transaction didn’t take more than 3 minutes.

“I really have to get going,” Jihoon rushes.

Daniel hums as he gets up from his seat, tucking his wallet back into his pocket. And leads the way back down onto the street. He eyes his luggage tucked away in a corner close to the exit and Jihoon makes a bee line for it.

They’re quiet as they walk towards Daniel’s accommodations and Daniel is okay with that. The rest of the street is quiet, all the little cafes and pubs filling up for the evening.

“God, you really had to pick the stuffiest, most crowded area of the latin quarter, huh?” Jihoon observes with slight disdain.

“Well, we can’t all be staying at the Four Seasons,” is Daniel’s reply and there it is again, that slight flush and his hand going to cover his mouth.

Daniel smiles to himself slyly as the turns into the small hostel. Jihoon’s bag has been readied by the makeshift check in counter since earlier that afternoon should he have arrived while Daniel was still out, but Daniel is glad that he caught him even if just for a while.

The exchange is quick and almost completely uneventful after everything that they’ve both been through since that morning.

“Alright, now that's sorted, I hope work goes well tomorrow,” Daniel says as some sort of goodbye.

“Right. Hope the rest of your vacation goes well too,” Jihoon bids with a slight wave of his hand as he starts wheeling his own luggage away.

And Daniel could have left it at that. A happy coincidence to meet like they did in the most romantic city in the world. But that’s not Daniel.

“You look good in my sweater!”

Jihoon doesn’t stop walking nor does he turn to look back at Daniel, but says, “And that belt would look a lot better on the floor along with the rest of your clothes.”

Daniel chuckles and shakes his head in disbelief.

“Maybe next time, then?”

“Maybe next time.”

 

  
  
  


**_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • 1m_

_[UPDATE] 181009 Jihoon has confirmed last minute that he’ll be going to KCON LA next week as a special MC! KCON will be from October 12-15!_

Daniel’s supposed three month holiday gallivanting across the world was cut short to two weeks. He supposes he can only delay the inevitable for so long and it was naive of him to think he could delay something of this importance.

So like the good Asian son that he is, he reroutes his flight to Morocco from Spain and tries to look on the bright side. Not that many people can say they’ve gotten laid on a Spanish beach, he supposes. But amidst all of this, his fear of a desk job looms over him. He tries to work out the kinks in his joints as he pulls out his carry on luggage from the overhead bin, but a migraine is make itself felt now that he’s thinking about being home again.

It feels like he barely had time to miss the smell of the sand and the sea and the stifling heat of Los Angeles and he was already back. The only upside is that he doesn’t have to pay for meals when its his mom who’s doing the cooking and she had adopted another cat just the week before. That should be incentive enough to get through the hellish weekend.

When he steps off the plane and back into the chaos of LAX, he feels a bad churning in his stomach as he realizes it's a lot more crowded than normal. There’s a frantic energy in the air that he knows means only one thing: KCON.

_This was a mistake. Oh god this was a mistake._

In his defiance towards cutting his trip short he had postponed and postponed coming home. He had never thought he’d come back on KCON weekend. Truly this was the devil's work. He sees the sneers and angry faces of those who he got off the flight with and thinks  _Big mood_. After having gone through the baggage claim he just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible but the hordes and hordes of security and teenagers was going to serve as an issue.

Everywhere he looked he could only see banners and fans and albums being waved in the air. He refuses to pay it any mind until he realizes that the characters and the faces seem familiar.

**_박지훈_ **

_No. It can’t be._ Daniel thinks back the Jihoon he met that one night in Paris and really, it all falls into place, how could he have been so naive? Of course Jihoon who wore designer t shirts to sleep and was busy with work in Paris,  _during fashion week_ , was some sort of idol and not just some Crazy Rich Asian.

He can still hardly wrap his head around it. Had he really met what looks like one of South Korea’s hottest stars? The amount of people waiting for just a glimpse of him seems to suggest so. And this is what continues to run through his mind as he goes through the motions of wading through the crowd and towards the exit where he knows his ride is waiting for him. He can already see him in that classy suit, lifting a sintra board with his name on it. Stark difference from the colorful and creative banners of those around him.

But like the rest of the people at the airport, there's a sense of excitement bubbling under his skin, this time taking the place of what was initially annoyance. He can hardly help turning his eyes towards the direction where the screams have increased and the fans were moving double time to keep up with whichever enigma has made itself known.

It was just a glimpse, really. Short and if Daniel hadn’t known where to look, he’d have missed it completely.

But the second time Daniel sees Jihoon, he’s got pink hair, messed up  _just so._ Something about the way Jihoon goes about greeting fans makes it look professional, almost business-like but not insincere. He’s waving to his fans and has a smile that is sweet enough to rot Daniel’s jelly-abused teeth. And it happens before Daniel can even stop himself, but he raises his hand, waving in Jihoon’s direction, just as he thinks he catches Jihoon’s eye.

He doesn’t take it against Jihoon when he doesn’t return the wave, surely too blinded by the flashing lights to have seen Daniel at all.

  
  
  


Daniel loses the argument.

To be fair he never really thought there would be any other outcome, but still, he’s not Daniel if he won’t at least kick and scream and defy as many rules as he can until he gives in to the inevitable. Its just his nature to cause as much trouble as possible before falling back into his docile, good son branding.

He doesn’t hide his distaste in this outcome though.

And this upsets him. Trips to South Korea have always been something he looked forward to. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth that he’s here on not-so-good terms. He was supposed to be sunning nude on a beach on Ibiza, or drinking hot chocolate in a mountain lodge in Switzerland, maybe even cheering amongst a crowd of thousands at an English Premier League game. But alas,  _summer internship_ is the only thing he has on his itinerary for the time being.

To be fair, his mom was on his side, as she always was in matters with his father. The cat mouse game that was Daniel’s childhood had never been tumultuous or confusing like that of TV characters he’s grown up watching. It was just that mom and dad didn’t love each other anymore, so what was the use of staying with someone you didn’t want when you could be with the one you wanted instead? It was always like that and Daniel always understood.

Sure, now that he’s older he understands the different layers and events that piled on top of each other and lead to the inevitable demise of his parents’ relationship, but still. The outcome remains: what was the use of staying with someone you didn’t want when you could be with the one you wanted instead? Daniel didn’t believe in holding yourself back from what you wanted, especially when it's right there in front of you.

This leads him to think:  _then how the fuck did I end up with a desk job thousands of miles away from my mom and cats?_

It isn’t often that he is unsure about the course of his actions. Sometimes he doesn’t even get all that far, choosing to dive in headfirst. But here he is, stopping short of those automatic doors.It is funny how he wouldn’t think twice about trying skydiving or swimming with whale sharks. Those were always temporary thrills and scares that he knows will end up as good memories.

This,  _this_ doesn’t seem like it at all, though the  _scare_  of it all seems dismal.

He brisk walks through those automatic doors at full speed, making sure as to evade whoever is supposed to be picking him up, and runs towards the first fast food joint he comes across in this vast, vast airport. Daniel’s never been so fucking thankful that it's so unnecessarily huge until today. He says a silent apology to the poor staff members who’ll be no doubt reprimanded for not chauffeuring him into a car as soon as he made it past those doors. But like everything else, he’ll think about that later.

He’s halfway through his burger and fries when he notices it. Wet from the condensation of his watered down cola, staring up at him from his tray is a smiling Park Jihoon. His hair is a soft brown color and his hands are forming a heart that seems so unlike the Park Jihoon he had met in Paris. He chuckles to himself.

After KCON LA, he’s stopped himself from googling and searching all there is to know about this Park Jihoon. He isn’t sure why, but the whole serendipitous-ness of their first meeting is something Daniel wants to keep to himself. It is a very unique experience, it is  _their_ experience. And while Daniel supposes Park Jihoon himself doesn’t think back to it all, he doesn’t quite mind.

He looks around and it is almost funny. Had Daniel been so preoccupied with running away that he had not noticed? Jihoon is just about on every storefront, signage, and chicken commercial. It's like he has to circle the globe several times to catch a glimpse of Jihoon, but when he finds himself in the last place he wants to be, Jihoon is everywhere?

He’s stopped himself from doing this before, just as he’s stopped himself from going on a social media frenzy over the guy. But this was just too good of an opportunity to not take.

**_To: Jihoon Park_ **

_Are you in Seoul?_

That sending bar at the top of the window sets his heart into a mad dash that is crushed when there is a tap on his shoulder.

“Mr. Kang! I’m so glad I found you! We must hurry, your father is waiting for us at the hotel! He has another meeting in a few hours.”

Daniel’s heart sinks but he tries not to make it too obvious as he gathers his things and smiles politely. This guy is just trying to do his damn job. There’s no use in causing any more trouble for anyone.

 

When Daniel checks his phone, that stupid little red exclamation point mocks him.  _Message not delivered._

 **_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • 4 hrs_

_[PRE] 181029 Jihoon at Incheon airport leaving for Law of the Jungle filming in El Nido!_

  
  
  


Daniel doesn’t text Jihoon at all while he’s in Seoul. He doesn’t try again. There is something daunting about wanting to reach out to Jihoon when he’s all over the damn place, smiling sweetly, hair an array of colors, dressed to the nines on the covers of magazines. He supposed that people would hardly think of their meeting as anything spectacular in the grand scheme of things, so he keeps it to himself.

In the month and a half he’s spent in Seoul, he’s embraced the culture of it a little more. Not the Korean culture--that's always been in him, always will be. But from the very beginning he’s stopped himself from playing the part of the American raised son of the COO. He just blended in as much as he could, and found that there's enjoyment tucked away in street stalls of twigim with his co-interns, shots of soju with his childhood neighbor when he had visited, and instant ramen in the 7/11 across the street from his hotel all by himself.

So when he and his father get into a heated argument and he bids the CJ Group building a goodbye, he’s quick to pack his bags and get the fuck out of there, even if it is just temporarily.

He’d strong armed his father into a deal. Three months. Three months of him leaving Daniel alone so he can do whatever the fuck he still can and when those three months are done, Daniel will come back to be the good, filial, obedient son that he is. Until those three months are over, Daniel will not have to think about Seoul, the CJ Group, or his father. The two Kangs shake on it firmly, and Daniel’s father pats him on the back soothingly when they hug. Daniel doesn’t hate his father. No, he loves his dad and they have a great relationship despite the distance and Daniel, despite his wild card personality and his insatiable hunger for something more than  _this_ , doesn’t want to disappoint anyone.

So for now it is enough.

  
  
  


Daniel’s first stop is New York.

Well technically it is Dubai for a 5 hour layover, but Daniel thinks it’ll be easy enough to sleep through that. He initially refused the fancy pants flight ticket his dad had offered but eventually relented.  _It’s a gift, a thank you for coming over this summer,_ his dad had said. Daniel smiled ruefully and bowed deeply in thanks. He had not come home to South Korea in his four years of college, having taken summer classes and flying off to see high school friends in their respective college towns instead. He almost feels guilty taking it.

He isn’t guilty about gorging on the complimentary breakfast buffet though, absolutely nothing would stop him from demolishing a stack of pancakes at 4AM.

He’s got his phone replaying football highlights in one hand, and the other is shoveling scrambled eggs and bacon into his mouth. It’s overall not a pretty picture and he stands out from the crowd of the VIP lounge.

“Real attractive,” A voice quips.

Daniel is quick to look up and pulls the AirPods from his ears. He nearly chokes on his breakfast when his eyes land on Jihoon, bundled up in a thick knit sweater, hair black this time around.

He downs his orange juice in one gulp, but his eyes are watering and Jihoon hands him a napkin to dab away the stray tears.

“Jesus, don’t sneak up on people like that!” Daniel chastises, taking the napkin and bringing it up to wipe at his eyes and around his mouth.

Jihoon regards him with a smile and a roll of his eyes. Daniel is tempted to stick out his tongue.

“Thought it was you. Glad I was right,” Jihoon says, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back to flash Daniel a brilliant smile.

Daniel simply shakes his head and goes back to eating, tucking his phone away into his back pocket. He sees Jihoon having an internal debate as if he wanted to ask something but unsure if they were at that point considering their weird first meeting.

Daniel supposes that it is their only meeting. He doubts Jihoon knows he saw him at LAX a few months prior.

Finally Jihoon blurts out, “Where are you headed to?”

“New York,” Daniel says, spreading butter onto some toast.

“Wow,” Jihoon starts, relaxing a bit at a topic he seems familiar with, “I love New York!”

With a raise of an eyebrow, Daniel asks, “You’ve been before?”

“Oh yeah! Several times actually. I was there a few weeks ago for--”

“Let me guess,” Daniel cuts in with a smirk, “KCON?”

Jihoon’s face falls at that, “How’d you know?”

“No need to stress out over it,” Daniel reassures, “I saw you actually, at LAX. Your fans are very dedicated. And loud but I mean, whose isn’t? But what about you, where are you off to?”

“Rome,” Jihoon says, “Have any suggestions for me?”

Daniel shakes his head no.

“Oh? What happened to your European backpacking extravaganza? I saw that  _very_ tiring itinerary in your stuff, by the way, hope you don’t mind considering you met my not so little friend, going through  _my_ stuff.”

Though Jihoon says it lightheartedly and with a laugh, Daniel knows Jihoon must still be at least a little embarrassed by that.

“Had to cut it short, duty called and I had to answer,” is Daniel’s simplistic reply.

Jihoon regards him with curiosity.

“I just flew in from Seoul. I was there for a little over a month.”

Jihoon’s mouth falls agape at this. It is very obvious now that he tried to avoid the whole Korean superstar topic only to bring it back full circle.

“You’re hard to miss.”

Jihoon completely pales at that.

“What time until you board?”

Jihoon looks at his watch and counts, yet to change the timezone it is set to, “Four-ish hours?”

Daniel smiles, “Me too.”

Dubai International Airport has the world’s biggest Duty Free shopping center, a spa, a gym, and two open-air gardens, but somehow Jihoon and Daniel don’t leave their table in the VIP lounge for the next four hours.

  
  
  


Daniel finds solace on his best friend’s boyfriend’s couch for the next few days. After trying to cure his severe jet lag with Netflix and Shake Shack binges, he’s just fallen into a completely unfortunate circadian rhythm similar to that of his junior year at UCLA.

This is why it is 3PM and it is only now that he’s being kicked awake by his best friend.

“Hey fatass, if you don’t move you’ll start growing mould behind your ears,” Seongwu says, nudging at Daniel’s feet, resting on the couch armrest.

“Fuck you,” Daniel mutters, head still under the pillows, “I’ll have you know, that despite my shitty eating habits, my fat percentage is only ten percent.”

Seongwu pulls the covers from over Daniel’s head, “Rise and shine asshole. We’re going out tonight.”

Daniel can only groan in frustration, “I don’t wanna!”

It’s childish, he knows but he can be around Seongwu. Growing up there were the only two Korean kids who lived on their street and Daniel had been the only kid to not make fun of Seongwu’s refusal to take on a “western” name.

Safe to say they’ve been best friends for ages, gone through it all. From falling off of bikes, to fall in love, to falling out with each other, and eventually everything falling back into place.

Seongwu had bid the west coast farewell as soon as he got off the stage at their high school graduation. He had gotten into NYU on early admission and while it had pained Daniel to say goodbye to his other half, he had always known what Seongwu was meant to do and where he was meant to be. Their years long friendship never waned and for that Daniel is more than thankful. Mostly because that meant he always had a couch to crash on whenever he found himself in the big city.

“Come on, Niel. You’ve been laying on Minhyun’s couch for so long you’re starting to become one with it,” Seongwu teases and Daniel makes space for him to sit down.

“That’s not true! I go out every day!”

Seongwu snorts unattractively, “Yeah for a 15 minute run and you almost always end up bringing home something disgusting and covered in cheese.”

Daniel flicks Seongwu’s ear, “As if you didn’t enjoy last night’s pasta.”

“Fine, I did. But still! How long are you going to be in the city and how much of your time are you going to waste by… wasting away on my boyfriend’s couch?”

Daniel is still really half asleep but he knows he won’t be going back to bed until much later on in the day, so he relents.

“Fine. Where is this super exclusive models only party that you and Minyun are taking me to?”

  
  
  


He’s barely had anything to drink when he gets the text. It is almost 2am when he gets it.

**_From: Jihoon Park_ **

_My flight comes in at 10am. Pick me up at JFK?_

Safe to say Daniel is pretty much preoccupied for the rest of the party. He plays the sober best friend for both Seongwu and Minhyun and pretends he had the time of his life hanging out with their classier art friends. The truth is Daniel had nearly run out of art-deco films to reference by 11pm. There’s a buzzing in his ears for the rest of the night.

Minhyun and Seongwu are both still asleep when he sneaks out of their flat and he’s sure they’ll still be asleep by the time he gets back. He tiptoes and opens the door slowly and guides it as he locks up after himself, breathing easy only when he gets to the elevator and presses the button for the ground floor. His intentions of keeping this to himself may be causing him more grief but a deeper yearning within him to wanting to keep this secret was much stronger. Why? He’s not too sure either.

They barely know each other. They’re really still just strangers until now. Daniel doesn’t know what Jihoon’s favorite color is, when his birthday is, did he fold his NY style pizza or did he eat them as is? Answers to those questions come up blank but when Jihoon comes around the corner from the arrivals area, something shakes Daniel awake and he thinks that eventually he’ll know every little thing about him, that there's no need to rush.

They don’t talk too much as they make their way back to the flat but its a comfortable silence, one that usually comes after years of knowing one another. Daniel is pleased that he can have this with Jihoon after only knowing him for just a while.

They help themselves to a bowl of cereal each even if it is close to 11AM. But that’s how Minhyun and Seongwu find them, seated face to face on the kitchen counter trying to hold their laugher in a poor attempt not to wake the other residents.

“What is Yoon Jihoo from the Boys Over Flowers remake doing in my kitchen?” Minhyun says, voice still rough from sleep.

Seongwu still in the wake of the realization, “Oh my god, you’re right.”

 _Right. International hallyu superstar._ He had almost forgotten that's what Jihoon did for a living.

“Hi? Sorry for intruding?” Jihoon offers a weak wave.

Minhyun goes into doting mother-mode, the same way he had treated Daniel the first time he had visited. That was until he realized Daniel was fully capable of taking care of himself and only acted like he was still fourteen to piss people off.

The two of them are preoccupied when Seongwu makes a face at Daniel, widening his eyes and tilting his head discreetly at Minhyun and Jihoon’s direction.

 _When the fuck did that happen?_ Seongwu mouths.

Daniel is helpless and just shrugs his shoulders, motioning to Seongwu to  _CUT IT, ASSHOLE_. Even he really doesn’t know how to explain all of this without sounding completely crazy. But this is Seongwu and he can’t keep secrets from Seongwu no matter how badly he wanted to.

 _I’ll tell you later_ , is Daniel’s mouthed reply.

They head back to Minhyun and Jihoon in time to see Jihoon standing up from the table.

“I really really am thankful you’re letting me stay, I promise I’ll be out of your hair by tomorrow,” Jihoon says.

Minhyun looks like he’s a second away from cooing, “It’s definitely not an issue, Jihoon. The bathroom is the first door on the right!”

Minhyun’s saccharine sweet smile drops as soon as the door to the bathroom closes behind him and he meets Daniel’s hopeful gaze with one that could kill.

“Alright, Kang. You have one minute to tell me just exactly  _how_ South Korea’s #1 artist on the brand reputation chart managed to land himself in my dingy-ass flat? And  _why_ didn’t you think to tell me!” Minhyun looks every bit as livid as his sounds, but it's hard to take him seriously when he’s whisper-yelling everything, for fear that Jihoon will hear from the bathroom. “I look like I’m about to be admitted into rehab!”

“Babe, you look f--”

“Don’t start with me!” Minhyun cuts off but both Daniel and Seongwu just laugh.

“I’m not kidding, Daniel!”

Daniel and Seongwu stop chuckling immediately and Daniel feels a blush creep up his cheeks.

“I don’t really know where to start? Mostly because it’s the most ridiculous story and even I don’t know how to fully comprehend how it all went down, and I’m sure you guys won’t even believe me! I mean me? Daniel Kang? Nothing exciting ever happens to me--”

“Daniel can you just shut the fuck up and tell us what happened?” Minhyun deadpans.

Alright, there’s really nothing he can do now. So he heaves a heavy sigh and proceeds to tell them just how he and Jihoon had met, albeit an abridged version, leaving a few details out, keeping them to himself.

Seongwu’s perched on the arm of the couch and lets out a low whistle, “Yo, that’s some cheesy Netflix Original romcom shit.”

Minhyun hums in agreement.

“So do you see why I think it would be weird to like, share to people?” Daniel says with a touch of dramatism.

Seongwu smiles, “Yes but also, I think it’s really cute. Kinda romantic.”

Daniel groans, “No, no, no, no. Not romantic. Cut that shit out.”

It’s futile to argue with Seongwu and Minhyun when he himself feels the slow creeping sensation of the blush spreading over his cheeks and even his ears.

“I’m just saying,” Daniel starts with a stern face, smile threatening to break through, “It just won’t work out. I don’t even know if he likes guys.”

Minhyun and Seongwu grow bored of Daniel’s mopey look and take turns flicking him on the forehead.

“There’s no use in holding back when something that you want,  _someone_ that you want is right there in front of you,” is all Minhyun says to a skulking Daniel before he busies himself in the kitchen, Seongwu trailing after him.

  
  
  


Jihoon spent his first day and night in New York sleeping. Daniel thinks that his schedule as a top artist must be harsh considering celebrities never really get the chance to stop being… well, themselves.

Minhyun, Seongwu, and Daniel try to go about their day as normal as they can, trying to avoid the fact that an international superstar was napping on the couch in the living room. Eventually both Minhyun and Seongwu have to head out, Minhyun to a shoot he knows will run pretty late, and Seongwu to meet up with a college friend who was in town for the weekend. Daniel opts to stay in,  _in case Jihoon wakes up, you know?_ Not wanting him to wake up in an empty apartment he wasn’t completely familiar with.

He tries to ignore the smirk on both of his friends’ faces when they lock up behind them.

It’s around 10:30pm when Jihoon stirs awake. Daniel is sprawled on the too-small single seater with his laptop and earphones on, scrolling through Netflix.

“G’morning,” is the simple gruff greeting Jihoon offers him.

Daniel looks up from his screen, squinting in the dark, “Oh thank god, I thought I’d have to update all your fans that you’d fallen into a coma.”

Even with his eyes barely opened Jihoon manages a pretty impressive eyeroll.

Daniel sets his laptop aside and regards Jihoon still curled up in the covers Daniel’s been sleeping in for three nights and thinks that Jihoon looks ordinary. Normal. Like there was nothing strange about his very presence in this East Village flat.

Daniel takes a mental snapshot. Another one of those things he’ll choose to omit in stories and recollections to friends, to store in his memories just for him.

“You hungry? There’s a wicked pizza place just a few minutes walk from here,” Daniel proposes.

Jihoon’s eyes have fluttered close but Daniel knows he’s awake, “Mhhmm. Give me a minute. It’s so nice and warm under these blankets.”

New York in early December is not much colder than he remembers Seoul to be, though he could be wrong. He very rarely spent winter break with his dad but thinks that winter in New York is wonderful. He makes a mental note to save up for that for next year.

Jihoon pulls him out of his thoughts when he goes over to put on his coat and his thick socks, “Hurry up, Kang. I need to get a pizza in me.”

  
  
“So, why New York?” Daniel asks as they brisk walk towards the pizza parlor.

“What do you mean ‘why New York?’”

“I mean you were in Rome just yesterday. Why’d you choose to come to New York right after?”

Jihoon does that thing where he ponders on a question for just a second longer, making it obvious he’s weighing his options and choosing an answer that’ll result in the least number of follow up questions.

Jihoon takes too long to answer because before he’s said anything Daniel is already a few feet ahead of him and goes to hold open the door to an old style pizza parlor for him. Jihoon bows in thanks as a force of habit even if all sorts of Korean honorifics are lost on Daniel and the rest of New York.

Daniel makes quick work of ordering for the two of them and in no time they’re back out on the streets, trying to get back to their building as quickly as possible. Stomachs churning from hunger and fingers going numb from the cold.

They catch their breaths on the elevator ride up to Minhyun’s flat and that’s when Jihoon says, “It’s because I knew I’d have a friend.”

“What?” Daniel looks over at him in confusion.

“New York. Why I came here, I mean.”

Daniel still doesn’t piece it together.

“It’s because I knew I’d have a friend if I came here.”

The elevator stops,  _dings!_ once, and the doors open to reveal their floor.

  
  
  


The next day Daniel takes Jihoon around New York.

They’ve both been around the city before but there’s something about seeing it blanketed in snow, the crazy lights, and just the feeling of being in this great big city. Daniel will admit there’s also something about someone holding your hand that makes it a whole new experience.

He doesn’t even know how it had happened. When had his hand found Jihoon’s? Was it when he had pulled Jihoon towards one of his favorite comic book shops? Had it been when they high-fived when Jihoon had managed to get the last cream cheese and salmon bagel from Ess-a-bagel? Or did they just gravitate towards each other, bodies knowing what Daniel and Jihoon wanted before their minds could even come up with excuses or consequences.

Daniel’s not sure but as long as Jihoon was holding on, so would he.

“God, how much of a cliche do we want to be? My feet are tired and Times Square isn’t for another two blocks,” Jihoon complains.

“Oh come on, we’re already just two blocks away!” Daniel insists, tugging Jihoon along, almost dragging him there.

Daniel can hear the whine from behind him and the mumbled  _crazy bastard._ It’s safe to say that Daniel was smiling the whole time.

When they stand amidst the hundreds of other people, locals and tourists alike, Daniel can’t help but look down at their intertwined hands. Through their thick gloves Daniel thinks he can feel the heat of Jihoon’s palm and thinks,  _how amazing is it that in this whole world, you found me like you did?_

Jihoon doesn’t notice, as his gaze stays on the view in front of them. It really, truly isn’t as magnificent as the movies make it seem but Daniel supposes that the flashing lights look pretty amazing when they’re shining in Jihoon’s eyes.

  
  


They make it back to Seongwu and Minhyun’s flat with another box of pizza and two hot chocolates that Jihoon knows is really pushing his diet’s limits. Daniel had insists that the combo was perfect and Jihoon insists on forgetting everything in his life that isn’t within this flat.

Some Netflix original Jihoon has never seen is playing with Korean subtitles — a teen rom com about a pretend relationship that Jihoon already knows will turn into real one. So midway into the film Jihoon pulls away from the TV in front of him and turns his head to Daniel, still absorbed in the film he’s admittedly seen several times before.

So Jihoon pretends. He pretends that this whole flat is his whole world and that he and Daniel are the only two people in it. His heart aches when he feels the smile forming on his face and he looks down at Daniel’s hand resting in between their thighs. He can’t help the tingle in his fingers, just wanting to reach out to Daniel. Because right now, his whole world  _is_ this flat and Daniel is right there in front of him. He just has to reach out, just a little, and—

“Can I kiss you?”

It was so soft and Jihoon almost misses it, lost in his own mind and over the dialogue of the movie, still playing on the flatscreen.

Jihoon looks up almost too quickly, his head jerking up and meeting Daniel’s gaze and nearly looking away.

There was no intensity in Daniel’s eyes. No insistence nor urgency. Only a softness that Jihoon thinks may mean invitation, apprehension, and worst of all  _adoration._

How can Jihoon convince his head or heart to say no to eyes that look like they will love him?

So he says yes.

And even though his heartbeat is so loud in his ears he can still hear it when Daniel cups his cheek, fingers resting under his jaw and threaded in the hair by his ear. He can still hear it when his eyes fall shut and his lips part on their own, his body falling and willing itself to whatever it is Daniel wanted. And he can still hear it when Daniel finally presses their lips together, softly, tentatively, but full of an innocent longing, and the music gets louder.

_To be young and in love in New York City._

_I like me better when I’m with you._

The film ends with Jihoon not understanding much of what happens but the shy smile on his face doesn’t waver. He can also see the curve of Daniel’s from the corner of his eye and it makes him want to die from embarrassment. How could this have happened? He wants to go over all the time they have spent together, regardless of how short a time, with a fine toothed comb until he pinpoints when the feelings had started to gather at the bottom of his heart up to right now when he could hardly contain himself.

They don’t talk about it, but not in a way that they were avoiding it. It was a comfortable feeling, a sort of  _we’ll talk about it tomorrow,_ kind of unspoken agreement. Jihoon sees that Daniel goes to sleep with the corners of his lips upturned. There it is, that surge of emotion in his chest. The wholeness of this moment is so foreign to Jihoon and he’s suddenly thankful that they are completely alone. He takes all of it in, the mundaneness of it all, to watch someone fall asleep with a smile on their face because he helped put it there. This is something that is his, only his, to keep forever.

  
  
  


It is around 2am when Seongwu and Minhyun try to quietly shuffle into the flat. The rustling of paper bags and hushed whispers jolts Jihoon to shut his eyes and pretend he’s asleep and nearly hold his breath. He only releases a relieved sigh once he hears their bedroom door close some fifteen minutes later.

Jihoon lets a few minutes pass before he jolts up and carefully climbs out of his makeshift bed on the couch. He moves slowly so as to make the least noise possible. He pulls out his laptop from his backpack and quickly sets it up on the breakfast counter. His fingers fly on the keys, praying silently that he can get this all done without disturbing anyone’s sleep.

“What are you doing, Jihoon?”

His hands freeze. He hears the intruder move closer, their bare feet against the tiles give off a muted sound that seems too loud to his ears.

He turns and sees Seongwu in stripe pajamas giving him the most perplexed look.

“Hyung, I—“

“Were you just going leave without telling anyone?”

“I—“ Jihoon feels like he’s choking.

“Isn’t that a bit harsh,” Seongwu starts, walking towards the refrigerator, “to leave on his birthday?”

The refrigerator opens with that strange  _pop!_ sound and Jihoon’s eyes register the tell-tale shape of a cake box before Seongwu shuts it close, a bottle of water in his hand.

“H-his birthday?” God, Jihoon just sounds pathetic now.

“Yep, the big two-two.”

They’re quiet.

“He likes you. You know that. So why are you breaking his heart?”

Jihoon feels the burn at the back of his eyes and his vision goes blurry. The first hot tear drops when he moves to look Seongwu straight in the eyes.

“Because the longer I stay the harder it will be to leave. I’ll end up breaking his heart regardless.”

Seongwu is angry, Jihoon can feel it heat up the air around him, “Please don’t hurt my best friend. I think he’s been through enough. And I think you can make him very happy. He can make  _you_ even happier.”

“These past two days have been the happiest I’ve been in a really long time,” Jihoon starts, “but I think it's time for me to wake up, take responsibility for my actions.”

There’s no point in this argument and Seongwu leaves Jihoon standing there, with a defeated sigh and a heavy heart.

Jihoon lets out a shuddering breath and tries to contain himself. Who does he think he is to deserve eyes that smile at him and a mouth that loves him.

So he leaves.

  
  


**_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • Dec 6_

_[PRESS] 181206 Park Jihoon was spotted outside of Ciampino Airport in Rome arguing with soloist Kim Donghan. entertain.naver.com/read?oid=382 &a… _

 

 **_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • Dec 6_

_[DISPATCH] 181206 Sources claim that actor Park Jihoon is in a relationship with solo singer Kim Donghan soompi.com/2018/08/03/273981…_

 

 **_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • Dec 7_

_[DISPATCH] 181207 Swing Entertainment comments on dating rumors between Park Jihoon and Kim Donghan: “have not discussed these matters with the artist” entertain.naver.com/read?oid=109 &… _

 

 **_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • Dec 8_

_[DISPATCH] 181208 OUI Entertainment confirms Kim Donghan and Park Jihoon’s relationship: “Donghan and Jihoon have been dating for several months.” entertain.naver.com/read?oid=421 &… _

 

 **_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • Dec 8_

_[DISPATCH] 181208 Swing Entertainment responds to  refuses to give any comments saying, “Jihoon is requesting for privacy regarding this matter and  his personal life.” entertain.naver.com/read?oid=112 &a… _

 

_**dan** @DANI_ONIICHAN • Dec 9 _

_BSAKKFKDND YOU GUYS!!! I SWEAR I’M JOT DREAMING BUT IM. NEEW YOROK FOR CHRISTAMS AND I SAWASER I SAW JIHOON AT. TIMESA SQUARE!!!!_

 

 **_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • Dec 9_

_[FANTAKEN] Jihoon spotted at Times Square, New York City (cr. eotteokeos)_

 

 **_Allkpop_ ** _@allkpop • Dec 9_

_Park Jihoon spotted in New York holding hands with mystery man https://www.allkpop.com/article/2018/0…_

 

 **_bellesprout_ ** _@micheojihoon • Dec 10_

_48 hrs went from “jihoon and donghan spotted fighting in rome ” to “donghang and jihoon dating for several months” to “OUI confirms their dating rumors” to “jihoon refuses to confirm or deny” to “jihoon spotted in new york holding hands with mystery man”_

 

 ** _Belle_**   _@seoftpeaches • Dec 10_

_ITS ANOTHER WIN FOR THE GAYS JIHOON REALLY OUT THERE WITH TWO BIG TALL MEN GOD WE LOVE A LEGEND_

 

 _**kei** _ _@himarisuu • Dec 10_

_I know we're happy for jihoon/donghan but DO NOT forget they were OUTED and jihoon said that he wanted to keep his private life PRIVATE_

 

 **_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • Dec 9_

_[ADMIN] We apologize for posting the fantaken photo. It has since then been deleted. Let’s please continue to support Jihoon and respect his wishes to keep his private matters private._

  
  


There’s a numbness he can’t shake, like his arms have cramped up for so long he couldn’t remember what the sensation of  _feeling_ was like. Daniel thinks it’s unfair.

Minhyun and Seongwu wake him up with a slice of vanilla buttercream cake and tickets to see Anastasia on Broadway that night. Daniel knows they hide the fourth ticket they went through heaven and hell to find at the last minute. His heart aches at the love his friends shower him to ensure the crevices where his heart had cracked are slowly filled.

They don’t talk about it. Because they’re all smart enough to put the pieces together.

That night Daniel treats them to a hearty Korean dinner to repay them for the hospitality and care. He doesn’t tell them that it's the closest thing to his mother’s cooking that he can find, and that that’s always been his cure for disappointment in those he’s given his heart to. He ate kimchi jjigae for a week when they had first moved to Los Angeles when he was four.

  
  
  


The next day he announces that he’s had enough of the cold. The clock’s ticking and if he doesn’t make the most out of it, his three months will pass him by. He books a ticket to Hong Kong. Europe sounded too romantic and still too cold, and Hawaii sounded too much like a honeymoon location. But fast paced Hong Kong with its neon lights and street food stalls sounded like the place to be.

There’s no tearful goodbye between him and Seongwu, there never is, but this time he knows Seongwu is sad for another reason.

“He really really likes you too, you know.”

Daniel closes his eyes and exhales through his nose harshly, “Seongwu, my Uber gets here in 5 minutes and this is what you want to talk about?”

“Well we never talked about it!”

“Because we don’t have to!”

Seongwu gives him a pointed look and Daniel relents.

“What? What do you want me to say?” Daniel raises his hands in defeat, “That I was falling in love with him? That my heart is broken to know he was seeing someone else this whole time? That I’m delusional to think he’ll ever settle for someone like me?”

Seongwu wants to get a word in but he can see how wound up Daniel has gotten. Usually at times like this it’s best that Daniel just let it all out.

“Because yes, hyung, I was falling in love with him. It wasn’t that deep but I felt it, somewhere in my heart, that maybe just maybe I could be with him and it could be good. Yes, my heart is shattered because I feel like a fool to have been strung along like that by someone who I knew I could never have. But what can we do, right hyung? What can we do except get over it, move on, get on with our lives. Because the world won’t stop turning just because Park Jihoon didn’t want me.”

They’re both crying at this point and Seongwu is completely speechless for maybe the fourth time in his life. They hug and Daniel releases the ugliest sob in his life into his best friend’s arms.

“Get out of here, asshole. You’ve got the rest of the world to see. And you’re right, it won’t stop turning.” Seongwu says as he gives Daniel another tight hug.

He goes down to help Daniel load his things into his car and makes sure everything is settled. Just before they pull away from the curb, Seongwu asks Daniel to roll down the window.

“I don’t know what must be going through your head right now, but I know this for a fact: Jihoon really really does have feelings for you. I just don’t think he knows what to do about it or if he can.”

Daniel says nothing, only nods in understanding and sends Seongwu one last rueful look.

  
  
  


Hong Kong is a good choice. In between the sightseeing and the shopping, he’s stuffed himself with so much good food that he feels he’ll burst. And when he’s not doing that he’s out at night lurking Lan Kwai Fung for drinks cheaper than bottled water in Paris. So far things have been going swimmingly. He doesn’t intend to drown himself in liquor to forget bright eyes and pink cheeks. What he and Jihoon had was far too brief to be attached like that but instead he drinks to have fun and to experience and to just be. Life is too short and the world is too big to think about one kiss in one city forever.

It isn’t until he’s back in his hostel that he thinks about Jihoon. It isn’t too grand, romantic, or even sad. He just thought about how much he’d like to see the rest of the world with Jihoon by his side.

He’s seen the Big Buddha, hiked the trail of the Peak, and seen Victoria Bay harbour. He skips Disneyland, thinking he’d already seen the one in Florida a few summers back. Daniel thinks that maybe it's time he head off to his next destination. Singapore, maybe? Thailand or the Philippines, since his bones craved for the sun and sea? Or back home to Los Angeles, to the familiar, to the homely.

He calls his mom. It short and sweet, they never were too wordy with each other, mostly relying on caring actions instead. He revels in the warmth of her voice and her teasing tone when she asks about Seongwu and Minhyun. Daniel loves the way she acts interested in everything he has to say even when he knows his mother’s also seen much of the world when she was younger, now simply enjoying how he still gets excited over the prospects of fish balls and wonton soup. So when he hangs up he feels relieved that his mom is doing just fine without him and encourages him to make the most of the money he’s saved and the time he has in his hands.

So he books his ticket for Manila while shoving slices of roasted goose and careful scoops of rice into his mouth. He has the TV turned on to a Korean music channel, the only thing he can understand in the midst of Chinese news and horse race betting. It’s showing reruns of the previous year’s Mnet Asian Music Awards and he thinks bleakly that even here his father’s company is haunting him, reminding him of the inevitable.

Daniel can’t help the soft smile that spreads on his face when Jihoon comes up on the stage. He’s dressed in a smart navy suit and his hair is blonde and swept to the side. He looks every bit princely and Daniel doesn’t deny himself the daydream of him standing next to Jihoon as he walks down the red carpet. Did the MAMAs do that? Were celebrities allowed to bring dates like American awards shows did? He doubted it. It would probably cause a media frenzy.

Something in him itches to give Jihoon a ring. Just a call to ask,  _did I do something wrong? Is everything alright?_ Daniel knows he probably got the better end of the bargain. Just a broken heart on his birthday. He didn’t get into it too deeply but he saw the articles, the mean comments, and the photos of Jihoon with bags under his eyes. Daniel remembers how seemingly normal things like walking down the street bundled in puffy jackets with someone you’re interested in, is something Jihoon may never enjoy freely, everything about him as a person affecting his career.

He picks up a lot faster than Daniel thought he would. Daniel thought that in between his surge of confidence and Jihoon even picking up he’d have enough time to chicken out and maybe throw his phone out the window.

“Hello?” Jihoon says, a near breathless greeting in his native Korean.

Panic surges through Daniel and he almost chokes on his spit before he answers back, “H-hey?” He berates himself for how it had come out more as a question.

There’s a relieved sigh that comes from the other line and then, “Daniel, hi.”

Then it’s quiet for a while.

“I’m sorry, this was a mistake,” Daniel says making sure to enunciate every word clearly.

“N-no, no please don’t hang up.”

He closes his eyes and fights himself for a split second. If he hangs up now and moves on with his life, this will be all over, and Jihoon will have just been strange blimp in his life. But that’s not Daniel.

“Okay, I won’t.” Daniel didn’t believe in holding yourself back from what you wanted, especially when it's right there in front of you.

“Why did you call?”

“I just -- I wanted to talk to you,” is Daniel’s earnest response, “I feel like we got cut off the last time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know you are.”

There’s a shaky exhale, “Even so. I think, I know, you deserve a proper explanation. What I did was shitty.”

Daniel hums, tries to calm his heart but eventually his rationality loses out to his bravery.

“Listen Jihoon, I called because,” He swallows the lump in his throat, “I called because I think… I think I missed you. And as much as I want an explanation, I don’t think… I don’t think I want to hear one. Not right now, not over the phone, at least. I think I just wanted you to know and I wanted to hear your voice. Is that stupid?”

“Oh god I hope not,” there’s a muffled sob on the other line before Jihoon speaks again, “I’ve gone nearly crazy from thinking about you. Are you still in New York? Where would you go next? What would you do, who would you meet? Where would I have to go to see you again?”

To have Jihoon voice out thoughts he himself has had is a relief. Despite the many different things that are telling him  _no, don’t do it, it’s never going to work out,_ Jihoon wanting him--even just to see him--is enough for Daniel for now.

“I’m in Hong Kong, eating roast goose and watching you on TV.”

“God, you crazy bastard. I’m flying into Hong Kong tonight for the--”

“MAMAs? I guessed. I’m flying out tonight as well.”

“Wh-what? For where?”

Daniel’s eyes flit for a second to his open laptop, his booking details open on a browser window, the time and date of his flight in big bold letters.

“Manila? Just for the weekend, maybe.”

“And then? And then after Manila?” comes Jihoon’s question.

“Maybe Paris?”

  
  
  


Daniel’s just landed in Puerto Princesa International Airport when he sees the news. He sends a simple congratulatory message to Jihoon and shuts his phone off as the messages and notifications come flooding in.

 

 **_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • Dec 14_

_[TRANS] Jihoon’s MAMAs Speech after winning the Best Male Artist_

_“This year has been a year of ups and downs and meeting new people and going new places. I’ve been an actor since I was very young but only recently did I think to start releasing music. For everyone who listened to my music, decided I could be more than just an actor, and for supporting my every step forward, you have been my source of strength. And I hope that I can also be a source of strength to you when it is hard. To my management, to my Jisung hyung who deals with my craziness, my Chungha noona who doesn’t get impatient when I don’t get the steps right, Woojinie for being my best friend, and to Daniel Kang for not hanging up. I’ll see you in Paris. Thank you again everyone, I hope you all have a good night!”_

As expected, Jihoon’s little stint at MAMA ends up with him getting quite the scolding from Jisung. Jihoon shrugs and thinks  _well at least I thanked him in my speech._ He pulls out his phone from his jacket pocket and smiles at Daniel’s simple text and doesn’t mind that his reply goes unseen. He supposes it wasn’t the smartest idea to broadcast to the whole world that he was asking this random guy out. It’s not long before everyone pieces it together, that Daniel had been the one holding his hand in Times Square and Jihoon pictures it in his mind’s eye: Daniel holding his hand everywhere else. He’ll be okay with that.

  
  
  


Daniel curses his own flare for the dramatics as soon as he steps foot outside the Charles de Gaulle airport. He hails a cab and cringes at how much his fare is going to cost before he even gets in. He looks over at the luggage he’s settled in the seat next to him and shakes his head. Back where it had all started.

It was nearing ten in the evening when he pulls up not too far from the Champ de Mars. He could see the lights glimmering from miles away, and it felt like his heart was hammering in his chest both from the nerves and hopeful anticipation.

He stands in the middle of the park freezing to his bones, seemingly alone even though there are several other tourists mulling about, snapping photos. He feels a cold coming on if he stands here any longer and wonders if he had made a huge mistake coming here even if, when he really thought about it, he was the one who said Paris.

He’s mid-thought about  _Why couldn’t I have said Bali--_

“Thought it was you. Glad I was right!” a voice calls out.

There’s a small smile on Daniel’s face when he turns around and is greeted by Jihoon, bundled up in a snow white parka and a pale pink turtleneck.

Jihoon ambles over to him, taking big steps, ice crunching beneath his heavy boots. He holds his hand out for Daniel to take. Daniel reaches out to him and again, even through the heavy knit of both their gloves, he is filled with warmth.

“Well I’m here, Jihoon. Do I get some sort of prize?” Daniel teases.

“I don’t know. You already stole my Gucci belt the last time we were here--” Jihoon plays along.

“Hey, that was a fair trade! You took my shirt!”

Jihoon laughs. It’s hearty and full and warm. And Daniel feels it sink into his bones and thinks  _we’ll be alright._

“So where are you off to after this?” is Jihoon’s question.

“Actually? I don’t know. The hostel I stayed at the last time is fully booked. We didn’t exactly plan this out smartly.”

Jihoon gives him a pointed look, “You really had to pick the stuffiest, most crowded area of the latin quarter, huh?”

It’s Daniel’s turn to laugh now, recognizing where the conversation is leading, “Well, we can’t all be staying at the Four Seasons.”

The snow has started to fall and though Jihoon’s smile sends warm currents throughout the entirety of his body, Daniel knows they can’t stay here for long.

“Can I kiss you?"

This time Jihoon can hear him loud and clearly. He looks up at Daniel and the look he’s giving is not all that different from the first time he had asked. Jihoon doesn’t jerk and look away instead he stays ever so still, not breaking away from his gaze.

Still, there is no intensity, nor urgency. Still his gaze is soft, nervous, but wanting. These are eyes that already love him.

So he says yes.

Jihoon and Daniel are stood in front of the Eiffel Tower on Christmas eve and the world melts away. There are still so many questions unanswered, stones unturned, and bridges they have to cross, by themselves and together. But Daniel thinks it won’t be so scary, so hard with Jihoon by his side.

  
  
  


**_PARK JIHOON INTL_ ** _@ParkJihoonINTL • 10s_

_[OFFICIAL/TRANS] 190101 Swing Entertainment’s statement about Park Jihoon and Daniel Kang’s relationship:_

_Park Jihoon wishes to be honest with his fans about his current relationship and would like to announce that he and Daniel Kang are currently dating. Though it is still very early in the relationship, Jihoon hopes that all of his fans may remain by his side and look on Daniel fondly and respectfully. Regarding rumours linking him with OUI Entertainment soloist, Kim Donghan Jihoon says: they “dated briefly and tried to work it out” but decided it be best to break it off. Jihoon mentions that Donghan has contacted him with well wishes for his new relationship. The two remain friends._

_Park Jihoon and Daniel Kang were first seen together in New York when Jihoon had visited New York for vacation. The couple had spent Christmas together in Paris as seen in Daniel Kang’s Instagram account._

**Author's Note:**

> HAhahHEHAHaH I MEAN WHAT WAS THAT, RIGHT???
> 
> the last stretch of this was totally unedited and i'll probably go back to clean it up later on
> 
> twts used are real but tweets are fake -- they're also authors from the nielwink:ss fic exchange please do check them out and give them and their fics lots of love ^3^
> 
> come yell at me on twt @seoftpeaches


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